WaveWalk 1st and 2nd impressions

1st impression

So I have to say from the start I was very excited to discover WaveWalk. I was very close to buying an inflatable pontoon boat to fish the local electric only lakes within 50 miles of NYC where I live. I had a great purchase experience with Joe Stauder out in Pennsylvania but what I didn’t do was sea trial the craft. This was my choice as I met Joe in a mutually agreeable spot halfway across the State.
Now let me say that I am no lightweight. I’m 6’7″ and 280lbs on a good day. The center of balance on me is not quite where most people are so my maiden voyage was not as easy as most people experience. The boat seemed a bit tippy and unsettled.
The tracking was amazing and the space I had was huge compared to the [12′ brand-name fishing kayak] I came from. The W seating position was awesome and the back pains I normally experience were nonexistent.
I was able to stay on the water much longer in the WaveWalk. I was even able to stand and cast but I have to admit I had some misgivings on the maiden voyage.
One of the mods I had done to my prior Yak was inflatable pop in pontoons and a standup bar. The light bulb went on and I went home and put the pontoon setup on my WaveWalk and it transformed my boat into the standup fishing platform I wanted!

Some of the things I learned along the way were to keep everything low and the C/G as close to the waterline as possible. I scrapped the early version of a milk crate with built in rod holders for sub surface mounted ones and I also upgraded the factory noodles for bigger ones. I’m writing this so that other customers who are of the heavier persuasion are aware of what they too can expect.

2nd impression

My second trip in the WaveWalk was a totally different experience and I found myself standing and casting very comfortably and even stand up paddling. I would not have attempted that the first time. Wind, waves, shallows all easily handled and I can’t wait to get back on the water.

Here are a few pics of my craft and right now I’m working on a dolly to move it around to and from the boat launch more easily.

3 Comments

Great review! –
I appreciate the fact that you took the time to learn more about your W500 and wrote a two-part article. It certainly adds depth to it.

Being tall and heavy is challenging when kayaks are concerned, and your use of those outriggers makes perfect sense. Sometime in the future you’ll probably get rid of them, as most W anglers who use such accessories eventually do. It’s similar to outfitting a bicycle with training wheels – It helps build confidence and makes the early stage of the learning curve easier.

And thanks to Joe Stauder, from Hawg Buster Kayaks, a W fisherman himself. Joe is doing a great job getting people to know this kayak.

Yoav

Marco09/17/2014 at --

Nice setup!
Marco

PackerYaker09/18/2014 at --

Nice review, Peter. If you get tired of paddling, I think the Packers could use you on their offensive line.